Fujiyama Memorial Hiyoshi Library

2018/06/26

If you walk along the path between the Student Union Building and the Cafeteria Building on Hiyoshi Campus and climb the steep slope in front of the Co-op store, the former Fujiyama Memorial Hiyoshi Library (now Fujiyama Memorial Hall (Fujiyama Kinenkan)) comes into view. In a lush green campus with many gray buildings, the front of this building is impressive with its rough-hewn, bright red brick-like construction. The first time I stepped into this library was in April 1964, when I entered the university. Perhaps because one-story buildings such as the student/faculty cafeteria, the Co-op, and Umezushi were scattered where Raiosha now stands, the red brick walls could be seen peeking through the ginkgo-lined avenue.

The predecessor of the Fujiyama Library began in 1927 with the construction of the Fujiyama Industrial Library in Shirokanedai by Raita Fujiyama, the founder of the Fujiyama Konzern. His eldest son, Aiichiro Fujiyama, who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and held other prominent positions, donated it to Keio University in 1944, and it was put to use. However, after the war, the Faculty of Engineering moved to Koganei and the number of users decreased. In 1958, as part of the 100th anniversary commemorative project and with the consent of the Fujiyama family, the land and building of the Fujiyama Industrial Library were sold, and the new Fujiyama Memorial Hiyoshi Library was constructed. For students who had been studying in cramped school buildings after the war, 1958 was also the year the campus environment was completely transformed by the construction of the 4th Building, the Fujiyama Library, and the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall.

In 1985, the new library was completed. After the library changed its name to Fujiyama Memorial Hall (Fujiyama Kinenkan), it has continued to serve various roles to this day, including as classrooms and the International Center.

In the summer of my freshman year, I commuted to Hiyoshi for ten consecutive days to participate in seasonal sports for a required physical education credit. Every afternoon, I would take a seat near the large window on the Yagami side of the second-floor reading room of the Fujiyama Memorial Library and write a report to be submitted to Professor Katsujiro Asako of History. In an era without air conditioning, the breeze coming through the trees on the cliff was pleasant. Wondering what that window area looks like now, I visited the other day. The space had been transformed into a computer room with white walls, but the scenery visible from the same window remained unchanged from the old days, covered in thick greenery. For a moment, the image of myself from over fifty years ago, burying my face in the desk and indulging in an afternoon nap, flashed through my mind. It is a scene from a nostalgic memory.

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of writing.